— Biology —

Biology is an extremely broad field of study. It includes topics that range from the domain of molecules and cells to the interactions between populations of species—and everything in between. As such, this area of study accommodates a number of different career paths; you may opt to study biology if you plan to be a forensic scientist, a patent agent, a pharmaceutical researcher, or a professional in any number of related fields. At present, the field of biology has seen a rapid increase in discoveries, thanks to developments in technology and computing. These new discoveries will have important implications for the fields of pathology, criminal law, and environmental policy, among others. As a student of biology, you will be equipped with the knowledge to be in high demand in these exciting and rapidly expanding fields.

You will begin your studies with a core program that will familiarize you with the natural sciences, including general and organic chemistry, physics, and math. The core program includes BIO101 (you may pick between two versions of the course — BIO101A or BIO101B; these courses cover the same material, but in slightly different ways) and BIO102, introductory courses that represent biology at the microscopic and macroscopic levels, respectively. With the core program under your belt, you will be able to dive into more advanced topics in biology. You will see, for example, that you will often draw from the concepts you learned in physics when studying human physiology, or principles of organic chemistry when learning about biochemistry.

It is recommended that you also take six topic-specific electives of your choice, at least one of which should be a 400-level course. The biology electives cover a wide variety of areas, from plants to human physiology to computational biology. 400-level classes are considered more advanced because of their interdisciplinary nature.

To complete the knowledge equivalent of a Biology major, you should complete the core program (10 courses) as well as 6 electives of your choice (6 courses) for a total of 16 courses.

If you would like to complete the equivalent of a Minor in this area of study, please click here.